Saturday, June 28, 2008

Well today was uneventful. All I have done is stay sick....I followed the doctor's orders and only got out of bed to go to the bathroom----I had no idea I would feel bad enough to actually want to follow those directions. We called the doctor again today because I started running a low (very low---don't panic) fever and I am cramping in my belly. She didn't seem too worried, so we are trying to stay calm and wait until the morning, which we are hoping I will feel much better.

Will went to the states for a little but and bought a air conditioner for our bigger room, he is very happy about this and I am happy for him.

Our group this week had some problems with their flight and are not coming in until 10:00 on Sunday, so God provided Will with less responsibilities so he can take care of me, which is nice since I am high maintenance these days.

Right now Will is at the staff meeting and I am doing the same ol' same ol'.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Just wanted you sweet readers to know that we called the doctor and they said to come on in. So Will and I got ready as fast as we could and went across to go to my doctor. Turns out she thinks I might have strep throat...and whenever there is that possibility I have always been treated for it because of my heart problem.

So I am taking lots of medicine now and she ordered me to stay in bed for three days. I am in a lot of pain right now (my throat hurts and other things are bothering me---like my ears, nose, belly, sleeping with my belly,etc.), but we have prayed and I am about to eat some soup....so hopefully I will get better soon.

This was by far both the most rewarding and most difficult week yet!KA and I had more go on in these few days than in the others combined (or so it feels).For example…

The kids at the Colonia we worked with were extremely difficult.While some were open to the message and to our presence many were not.The spiritual depravity and the lack of love and discipline these children have been exposed to is heartbreaking.On one occasion, while leaving for the day, some of the kids tried to steal things out of our vans, then put large rocks under our tires so we couldn’t leave and while I and a participant removed the rocks we were cussed-out. Then they threw mud at the vans as we left.And yet, if you can get these kids alone and away from the negative peer pressure of their friends they are amazing and open.I taught 1 child how to spike down trees and rewarded his work with cookies; there was a complete transformation in his attitude when he realized he was valued.

KA wanted me to mention this special moment for her…Watching Will get all the kids to sit down and learn about how wonderful and valuable God’s creation is.They had been catching lizards and brutally killing them so when the caught another one we got it and taught them to praise God for all his creatures.They were instructed to bring the animals to us when they caught one and we would praise God together.They did!There were a number of times that day when a kid would catch an animal and bring it to us so we could say “Glori a Dios” together and tell them that just as God loves and values his creatures, He loves and values them too.

I took a group and tore down and burned a house. We wrapped rope around it and pulled it with a truck. AWESOME!

There was a city wide power outage in which we were included which meant no AC. Fortunately, it was only stifling outside and we slept in a sauna of our own sweat. One of our AC’s is still down.

KA is sick, and according to her the worst yet of her pregnancy.She has a very soar throat and a raspy voice.Please, Please pray for her.She is going to get to rest for about 48 hours thankfully.We’re calling the doctor as well.

I was asked to perform a baptismal service with Eliezar (a translator) for 2 girls on work crew. One of them told me that the Lord put me one her heart as the one to baptize her.It was beautiful: small pond, sunset, worship in the background.

KA is 5 months pregnant as of this past Wednesday. We can tell because her tummy is bigger , sleeping is tougher, and her belly button is almost flat. El Grosso!

We have been using fabric softener not detergent until a few days ago. It was in Spanish.

KA got to have her picture taken with a Mexican clown who came to minister to the kids at our site.It was very cool and he shared with them about Christ.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

~I felt the baby move more today. It was very subtle, but felt distinctly like life inside me.It is neat and we are trying to remain calm on the outside, but really Will and I are freaking out with excitement.

~I won a sweepstakes today.A man called me and said I won $100.00 a month to the Melting Pot. I get a gift card each month for a year…..pretty sweet, especially since Will and I LOVE the Melting Pot.Side note, they do tax us on it, so Will will have to look in to it more before we accept it.

~Our camera came in today…yippy! It is being fooled with right now by William. I will hold on to this one with two hands this time.Now I can put pictures up….what do you guys want to see?

~Will and I are doing a pretty good job leading our group this week, so far so good. We like our job!Praise God! Glory a Dios!

~This is horrible, but we did get a good laugh at our staff meeting tonight, today some Mexicans ( kids from the street/the hood…please pray for them) drew male body parts on the back of their VBS craft and stuck it to the American’s backs….it was horrible in the sense that the Americans were trying to minister to those kids and they received it by doing that….but it was funny in the sense that I am used to our guy friends making light hearted immature jokes about this kind of stuff.So I included this story…not for mature people who get offended by topics like this, but for the immature folks who laugh at this topic. Sorry if you fell in to the offended category!

~Living Water at the Emergency Room went great again today---we met a family that had been living outside the Emergency Room waiting on their aunt/sister to be healed….The whole family was in a car accident and the aunt has a fractured skull and blood in her brain…..the family said it could be another month. It was shocking.

~Last night Will had a great time at church.He was honored for being a FATHER. Last week the church had a revival, so this week they celebrated Father’s Day. Will, along with all the other fathers, were called to the front of the church. Then ladies in a somewhat provocative manner danced and sung a song to them. It was so sweet and yet so Mexican.He also got a soccer ball craft pin to wear….and a piece of cake! He was so happy.

Going to sleep (Will is going to watch an episode of the Office and eat Mac and Cheese)-K.A.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

So Friday we went to the water park here in Mexico....this was very interesting. It was fun and different. Will cooked big turkey legs for everyone on the grill and I helped grill big slices of zucchini. It was the kind of meat you get at a Renaissance Fair. Everyone enjoyed them and Will felt manly---thanks Rick for his good grill genes. After that we came home and got pretty...or at least a little better than normal===I wore a cute top and jeans and put on some eye make up:) We all went to eat at Olive Garden---really nice to get away and have ice in our cup, etc.

Saturday we slept late and cleaned house. Cleaning house here is every woman's dream....it is like one room---that's it.....I love small houses:). Saturday evening, one of our groups had some last minute problems so Will went and picked them up in Laferria, Texas. Then about an hour later another group called and said they were rejected at the boarder, so I had to go pick them up. It was a confusing little evening (I left at 6:15 and got back at 9:30) but everyone is here now.

Will is the Project Facilitator this week and I am the Project Manager. We are both excited about this and are happy our roles have stepped it up a notch.

This morning we had trainings with the new participates and then Will and other PF's took their group to the market. I am hanging back to get the food loaded on the van and then go with the other PM's to all the sites to drop off the food. Every Sunday after the service we serve the church dinner and eat with them as well.

Right now I am sitting here in my AC room enjoying a cranberry drink with ICE in my cup. I brought back ice trays from our trip back to Columbus for the wedding (I love ice, so I am super happy about this). So needless to say it has been a great couple of days.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Things We Love:~The staff, they are still our favorite people---we are not annoyed with them~The participates, even the annoying middle schoolers that don't lift a finger on a MISSION trip~Opening letters from our friends each week, this is for sure a highlight...Emily did great thing by asking folks to write us~Will and I are leading a group next week (the youth pastor didn't want a woman to lead him...so they are sending in the manliest man they know---my husband (mi esposso)~Our half day of tomorrow---we are going to a Mexican Water Park (prego will not be participating, don't worry....she's just there for the fellowship)~Money-we bought a new camera last night and we should get it late next week...yay~The fact that folks are praying for us back home~God~The fact that our Sister/ Sis-In-Law is in Africa serving the Lord---how neato~My day consisted of buying $40.00 worth of pads for female prisoners....they don't have anything for that time of the month....let's just say it is a huge issue for them...so we went and bought some for them---oh and also painting Juan 3:16 (John 3:16) on a youth room wall at our church~The breeze~Thomi (our crazy boss...in a good way)'s adoption went through---he is adopting a son from Kenya---he expects another 8 weeks and then he will be home~Candy---I crave a lot of it~Brandon, Will loved getting your letter (and your letter to me was really sweet this week too---thanks)~Wet Wipes----total lifesavers~AND DAD THIS ONE IS FOR YOU~~~Our AC got fixed today, as well as our bathroom sink...happy birthday los hawks.....we just had to talk to the right guy...praise God for this sweet little Mexican man...who can fix things like my grandfathers can

Things We Could Live Without:~Throwing away toilet paper instead of flushing it---this still stinks~The heat----it is so hot (I know...your not surprised)~The scorpion count....five and growing:)~Vera getting muddy and really wet in the pond and then jumping in the driver's seat as well as our bed (laundry)~Swallowing Prenatal Vitamins....que horrible

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Big News--Not last night, but the night before I felt the baby move. It was 4:30 in the morning and I felt it suddenly. I woke up Will right away so we could share in the excitement. I am 17 weeks pregnant now, yay:)! I am one week away from being five months which I can't wait for. My feet are still the size of small melons, but I am beginning to grow fond of the little chubbies. It is a reminder and an assurance that I am still pregnant....so thank you Lord for my continued fat feet.Yesterday, I went to our regular site and worked at the church we have been working on. I did living water with a group (Juan Jose was our translator...for those of you who know him....great man) at the emergency room. One lady was in labor....I felt for her! Then in the afternoon I worked with the group doing VBS. My favorite part of that was that I got to hold a baby for like two hours. These two sisters came...one was 16 and one was 18...the 18 year old was pregnant with her 2nd child and her sister the 16 year old had the 4 months old baby that I got to hold.Will went to a different site to help out there.Today Will burned a patch of land and had a blast. He worked with a team of men and loved every minute of fire and manliness. He also caught a opossum and impressed several folks with his skills.I did a ministry cleverly called watering trees....we watered the trees here. This is important because we never get rain and it is their vision to provide food for the local ejidos. So it is a big deal to keep the trees alive. Next I did living water...in which I drove down fields and fields of grain and then finally (like after 25 minutes of nothing) found a little neighborhood. We delivered cold glasses of water and it was great.We ended today with a cook out for the community and a small service at one of the local churches. Will got to preach....that was great!Prayer request:Our second camera broke...it is just a little sad because so many cool things happen everyday that I want to remember....when we were walking back tonight our neighbor came out and showed us a snake she killed....it was long...a translator was near by so we asked questions.Will and I have been arguing for the past few days...just to be honest...it is something we don't have the time or energy to deal with. We agree that Satan is out to get us, because duh....look at our marriage...we are in Mexico ministering in the greatest capacity we have ever done before...we are expecting our first child, etc. So it would be nice if you lifted that up....we want to be better, but it is hard (like in all marriages). Thanks for letting me be real with you (whoever happens to read).Pray for a little girl named Hannah...she has had a fever of a 100 degrees the past few days....her family lives here year round and they are full time missionaries....they are a super cool family....they took her to the hospital today and the doctor predicts she will have to get her tonsils taken out. He said that in Spanish, Hannah who is getting better at speaking Spanishimmediately started to cry....so she is nervous about that and getting operated on is not in a missionaries budget...so pray for her and her sweet family.Peace---William and Karan Annecan't wait to sleep:)

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

We are back and we are so thankful to be back….yes it was hard to turn off my American shower Sunday morning, and yes it was hard to leave my sweet dad and Robin standing firmly in the airport until we were out of site….BUT IT IS TOO AMAZING NOT TO COME BACK.

Today’s highlights….lets see…sadly the first thing that came to my mind was the fact that I had a big portion of brownies at tonight’s dinner…..I probably had the best meal since I got here tonight…yum yum---corn, mashed potatoes, chicken and gravy…and brownies. It was nice to fill my belly and fill it with something that was familiar (not like Rick and Judy, but I’ll take it).

The ministry was awesome today…I did prayer walking first with a great group from blank (I can’t remember---it took 14 hours to drive here for them) and then I got to do Vacation Bible School….which I am starting to fall in love with the kids and even though I can not speak their language…love really is universal. William started with doing home visits and a man came to know the Lord. The second ministry block had no group scheduled for construction…but the first ministry block had left the job unfinished----not on purpose, they just had a big job to do. So in efforts not to leave a big hole on the side of their house, Will and Logan (the construction coordinator) finished it up. Will loves fixing things, so this was really fun for him to do.

In all five people came to know the Lord today---this is not our goal, but if the Lord leads us to pray with someone we do---our goal is simply to love and share life. Many people we talk to are fellow believers, so we learn from them…..Americans are normally shocked to see the joy the Mexicans have.

We are so grateful to have people praying for us back home…..it wouldn’t kill me if no one read this blog, but it is super exciting to know people are reading it….It is also like getting a sweet letter in the mail to read the comments from past blogs….so once again thank you tons.

Yes, yes I know I said slits instead of stilts….you can make fun of me….I will go to sleep confidently knowing I teach the gifted…just kidding….I can not spell under normal circumstances….so I am not surprised to know I am making mistakes…late at night…pregnant…in Mexico.

For the dog lovers: Rei and Vera did great while we were away....Vera gets a bath from the staff here all the time....it they keep it up I might not leave...Rei has a limp so we are not sure what we are going to do about that...waiting it out.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Today we stayed in the local community rather than going into inner Matamoros. This was a great experiment as AIM has never sought to build relationships with those, "right in their own backyard". Well the short of it is ministry works... BIG SURPRISE! Actually it does blow me away how simple it is here. There are needs to be met and we try to meet those needs above our own desires. While simple the thought is completely revolutionary.

I'll give some particulars before I get to ideological...

> KA ministered to a woman who had been stabbed 7 times by an angry ex-husband. She came to dinner here tonight.

> I got a group stuck in atono (actual word) mud. Worked out as we simply sat in a field and sang praises and prayed until we got pulled out. Imagine that not a single complaint just praise.

> I'm going to be "re-working" the worship stage setup with Ben (another Project Leader). It was driving us both crazy. I'm also looking to learn arc welding within the month.

> Ka was given hugs and kisses and was sung a song by a cute 4 year old. Upon hearing about this I popped him right in the mouth. That'll teach em'. Nah, actually she fell in love with this little guy.

> We had a high schooler who was skipping school accept Christ today!

Pray for...> The little boy's (mentioned above) grandmother she went blind.> Pray for us as we get ready for our flight.

K guys that's about it. Ryne & Laura I'm praying for you and looking forward to the wedding. We love you all.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

This will have to be short, because I am exhausted! On Monday Will and I went for our doctor's visit and everything was pretty good. I had a lot of questions because of my new life style and she was so nice to answer and discuss everything. She, by the way, did not think it was horrible that my feet constantly look like balloons (globos in Spanish---I'm Learning!), she just gave me advice. So now every time I sit down I try to put my feet up and of course I drink a ton of water. Two big things happened: 1)It took a long time to find the baby's heartbeat....a scary long time...several minutes....we were all getting really nervous and Will and I just stared at each other like ok, what now. She did eventually find the heartbeat and it was great....150 to be exact (anything between 120 and 180 is good). 2) We did NOT find out the sex of the baby....we were so upset but after finding the heartbeat and knowing that the baby was ok, we felt a little more forgiving. The doctor said at her practice she likes to make accurate calls on the sex of the baby, not guesses. I would have gladly taken a guess, but I didn't want to argue...she has my baby's life in her hands. So we were bummed and everyone here at the Gateway was too, but what can you do...life goes on.

Other than that, we are working hard....busy busy busy! A lady got saved today at the colonia. She was a sweet lady who had a lot of anger towards her children. She lost her temper with them often and one time even threw a rock at one of them and hurt his head. She was repentant of that and wanted to accept Jesus as her personal savior. Another cool part of that story is that the lady who prayed with her had been praying that she would get to lead an adult to salvation one day for ten years...she works a lot with children and not adults.

Some random Mexico things:1-Will killed the biggest roach he has ever seen tonight...in our house....those of you who remotely know me know that working for the Lord just got a lot harder....no joke...I teared up when he told me about it.2- We saw a man in slits with a full spider man costume on at a light trying to earn money by juggling...oh and his pregnant wife who was also doing tricks in a full costume as well(she was not on slits though).3-Rei tried to kill some of Nina 's (our neighbor) livelihood aka a chicken, but she just made it bald in one spot.4- Vera goes swimming everyday now to cool off and we hear she is no longer a virgin....but don't expect puppies (her boy toy is fixed).5-We are starting to drive a little less freak-out-ish and learn our way around Matamoros.6-I have bruises on both arms from where the mean nurse thought she was good at taking blood. I told her I was a hard stick, but she just laughed and said she could do it----she was horrible...I have never had that bad of an experience.7-The church we work at has pit bulls (and of course puppies) to guard it (told you it was nice...well nice for the poor)8-I talked with a man named Jose for a long time today---he was 43 and loved to joke---he wanted to talk politics with me (he didn't agree with Bush)---he also wanted to teach me about baseball and how Mexican men love women....he joked and said he would take an American too. He also asked if I would help him get papers to cross the boarder:). I said I have no idea how to do that and why does he want to cross...he said porque (why) don't you know how......we joked! He had a relationship with the Lord, but thought the church was full of hypocrites....I told him he is right...we all are guilty!:) He was fun, pray he will come to church again....we give them a free meal on Sunday, so that attracts a lot of new church goers.9-In the Wal-Mart here they tag your bags before you can shop.10-There was another scorpion in our house, this time he was really close to me in the shower when discovered him...Will just killed it and I got out and put on my big girl panties.

Flying out on Friday to be a part of wedding bliss---be back on Sunday:)

Saturday, June 7, 2008

I have a lot to be thankful for as I write this:~It has rained some today, and although it is horrible for the laundry I finally did (all clothes are line dried here) and it is bad because around 100 people are arriving today, and it is never fun to unload and load vans wet---it is great for the plants here at the Gateway.~Folks are arriving today...yay....we get to start doing what we came to do. Right now will is on an airport run to pick up a couple of groups, he has to go back later again today.~I have a long break today (from like 1-7:00). It is wonderful to have free time, I can not wait to nap.~I am eating sour patch kids right now:)~In two days we might get to find out the sex of the baby!~ We are constantly surrounded by a wonderful group of staff, getting devotionals, having worship times...it is nice to live in a Christ filled environment.

Other news:~Will is no longer leading the first week, we have a doctor's appt. on Monday and fly out early Friday, he also finally decided to put his foot down and ask to be with me on the project sites...he feels more comfortable with me and baby right by his side. All staff rotate the jobs of Project Manager, Project Facilitator, and Support Staff...so for the next two weeks Will and I are just support staff...there is less pressure when you do not have to run the projects.~There was a scorpion in our room the other night...wow!~The showers are a little better.~I dropped our new camera and it is broken...yep no pictures can be taken or seen....I am not sure what we are going to do yet, but it is super sad.~Still no bathroom sink or AC in the living area....not complaining just updating:).

Yesterday (just in case you want to know):~We went on a scavenger hunt around Matamoros....this was to help us become more familiar with the town. It was fun...my team lost and Will's team won!~We went to South Padre Island...and hung out on the beach...it was fun but it was a long day, we grilled out and got back around 10:30 or 11:00.

Love everyone....keep praying please...we miss you...and if you are reading this...you are really cool...sorry they are so long...hopefully they will get shorter.

*If you leave a comment, it might work best if you say that it is anonymous, and just write your name somewhere on the actual comment.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

A lot has been going on at El Portal...the Gateway....the AIM Mexico base where we are staying and working. Yesterday all of the summer staff had to practice driving the vans and driving in Mexico. Things are definitely different in Me-he-co. Will and I both did ok with the whole driving thing....you have to use extreme caution on the main roads and go very slowly in the colonias ( a colonia is like a large neighborhood/community....we will be working in 10 different churches this summer all part of a colonia). You also pass very weirdly in Mexico and that was interesting while I was driving yesterday. Also you if you get in a wreck you go to jail....scary!We got to visit the three colonia's yesterday....they are really cool and the pastors we will be ministering to are awesome....the team really enjoyed getting out and actually being amongst the people of Mexico. At one church (Will's church and KA's church for now) we are building some bathrooms for them....pretty cool.....at another church we are moving the entire church building to the end of the street on a larger property....and at the last church we are going to start construction stuff in the colonia...the first on the agenda....fixing up a man's house who picks up scrap metal for a living....he said he had the choice to work on his house or fill his belly and he has been choosing to fill his belly....so we are going to help him. Things are awesome basically.Last night Will and I crossed over and went to Wal-Mart to buy some things for the casa and what not. We bought things like pop ice, late night snacks, thing to hold your toilet paper, etc.Today we have been continuing our trainings and team building stuff. It has been wonderful....even though Will and I are both rather sleepy today because of our trip to Wal-Mart last night.Updates:1. Feet still swollen, although putting them up and laying down during breaks has helped a lot.2. Sink still not fixed, in fact our bathroom smells really bad....like hold your breath grab something and come out kind of bad.3. We are trying to solve the hot water rotten egg smell, by running it for periods of 15 minutes to try to help with the sulfur in the pipes....so far, as you can tell by #2 it is only making things worse....but we have hope:)4. AC not fixed, but our bedroom is nice and cool--so that is great!5. Dogs destroyed the quilt Will made me and put my ring in to when he proposed....very sad!Prayer Request:1. Pray for translators...we are having trouble getting all we need2. Pray for Will...he is going first on leading the whole project.3. Pray for me....shower time makes me want to cry and whine....last night I sang praise songs to the Lord the whole time and it made it a little better.4. Our sink gets fixed.5. That we would be amazing and faithful servants of God and remember our responsibilities (there are sooooo many).Praises:1. Groceries....Wal-Mart can make Will and I happy in any country.2. We LOVE the people we work with.3. It has been shady and breezy today.4. Will was struggling with me being on a team that is in a different colonia than him and finally he just told our boss.....I want to be with her....it is at least a closure to a prayer request earlier this week.5. Dogs love it here, although they are hot as a moe.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Well children gather round for a story told only once each century. Few have heard this tale for few can stomach it. It was a hot day...perhaps too hot. While children played games upon a field and others spoke of the days of old...a terror lurked. None could be prepared for its sudden yet obvious appearance. In an almost ominous way it lured children and adults alike to its presence and without warning caused the sickening of stomachs and the vile viciousness of very vindictive vomit. It was...the bloated foot of the pregnant missionary. Few could escape its grasp.

There are only 12 of us left now...we hope this terror will rest for the night though there will be none for us...we fear as should you for our LIVES!

Today:1. KA's feet swelled-up like water balloons (slight embellishment)2. The plumbing fell out of our sink3. We met awesome folks and grew in relationship4. Have had awesome prayer and teaching times5. Played Ultimate in 100+ degree weather (owned lol)

Monday, June 2, 2008

WE ARE HERE!So far so so crazy (in a wild, but good way), when we crossed the boarder Thomi (the base director) was in front of us, he went right on through...then it was our turn, the Mexican man in uniform, motioned for us to stop, I rolled down the window....he said something for a while and I replied...Hola....I quickly wished I would have brushed up like I said I would. He spoke to us for a while, and we were being as friendly as possible...Will and I were freaking out slightly at what was going on...but then he met Vera...who politely licked his hand and I said dos peros...then said amigos. He finally smiled and let us through.

So we love it, I mean it is defiantly missionary type living, but we love it. We have met a lot of staff people and had training tonight...it has been nice. We are still in a state of what will happen next, and what will it be like.

Some things that make it true to Mission life:1. One of our two air conditioners is broken, so we spend most of our time in our little bedroom, where the AC does try its hardest...which we are so thankful for:)2. One girl saw a snake tonight during a quiet prayer time we had.3. The hot water smells of rotten eggs...big time....el grosso!4. The cold water is very cold (oddly enough) and showers are turn it on...turn it off...wash a little, rinse. Interesting, Will says the hot water should smell better after running it a while.5. Can't really use water anyway....we have a cooler full of purified water though.6. It is realllllllly hot!

Praises:1. No bugs to report on so far....great news for me!2. We actually get one tiny little bar of internet in our house...in just the right spot in the corner of our bedroom- so we have the internet in our room, although it doesn't work all the time, and is slow...we do get it some.---Huge praise for a third world country, don't you think?3. Safety:)

Two More Things:1. Brandon our neighbor is Nena (for those of you who don't know Nena's is a hamburger place...we can get ice cream and a coke everyday). She is right in front of us and so are her chickens:)2. Emily (Hawk) you would be disappointed...I packed way too much I think....shoes galore...I am bringing some back when we come back for the wedding.

About Us

William and Karan Anne met in high school. Karan Anne was 15 and Will was 17. They talked all night one night and the next day had their first date...they have been together ever since. The sweethearts married on their actual six year anniversary and are about to celebrate their 6th anniversary. The couple now has two boys two years apart. William is the Student Minister at CrossPointe Church and Karan Anne is a stay at home mom with a very part time gig at church. Life is good and there are many blessings to be thankful for!